His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, today inaugurated the 2012 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), which expects to host 50,000 visitors from 91 countries over the next four days and 300 expert industry speakers.

Sheikh Hazza said that the vision of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and the guidance and support of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, had helped drive the development of the Abu Dhabi oil and gas sector and the advancement of the UAE’s energy industry as a whole.

The 15th edition of the largest oil and gas show outside North America is being held on the theme ‘Sustainable Energy Growth: People, Responsibility & Innovation’.

HE Al Hamli said the scale of ADIPEC and its setting in Abu Dhabi made it an ideal platform to address the complex technical and logistical challenges of exploring for and producing oil and gas at a time of increasing global energy demand.

HE Al Hamli said: “The next four days will provide opportunities for networking, doing business and above all learning more about recent developments in the oil and gas industry.”

Formally introducing the conference component of ADIPEC 2012, Mr Ali Rashid Al Jarwan, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO) and Chairman of the ADIPEC 2012 conference programme, said this year’s itinerary was the most comprehensive to date, with more than 400 presentations and technical papers scheduled.

Mr Al Jarwan said: “This year offers more depth and scope than ever before. ADIPEC was founded on the principle of sharing knowledge and experience. This principle is as relevant now as it was 25 years ago when ADIPEC was established.”

During the opening ceremony, Mr Al Jarwan recognised the enduring contribution to industry excellence of Mr Egbert Imomoh, President of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, organisers of the ADIPEC conference.

A former senior executive with Shell Nigeria, Mr Imomoh praised ADIPEC as “an environment of collaboration and education.”

“ADIPEC will help us growing individually [at the SPE] and as a society,” he added.

Mr Al Jarwan, CEO of ADMA-OPCO, moderated the first Executive Plenary Session on day one, titled Growth and Sustainability.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, ADIPEC 2012 takes place from November 11-14 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Covering over 38,000 square metres of exhibition space, including an 8,500-square-metre outdoor complex, ADIPEC 2012 is nearly 20 per cent bigger than the 2010 show in terms of exhibition space.

More than 1,600 exhibiting companies and 13 national pavilions are attending the four-day show, with national oil companies from around the world represented along with leading multinationals and small to medium-sized businesses.

Mr Simon Mellor, Senior Vice President of dmg::events, organiser of ADIPEC 2012, said: “As the world’s energy challenges have grown and as the role of Abu Dhabi and the Gulf in meeting the world’s energy needs has evolved, ADIPEC has become a hub for new thinking, more innovative solutions and the networking and business activities of a growing community of industry players.”

ADIPEC is supported by ADNOC, the UAE Ministry of Energy, the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, and sponsors include the world’s leading oil and gas companies.